My New Findings on the Intricacies of Cats

My New Findings on the Intricacies of Cats

A few weeks ago my roommates and I welcomed a new addition to our household: Sid Vicious the kitten. I admit there is a special place in my heart for cats. This is a love that began when I was born after I came home to a house belonging to two cats. When I have lost cats in my life then very soon a new one would show up, so I’m pretty much hooked on cats. You can imagine my surprise when I am still learning about new behaviors and attitudes that cats possess. Soon after owning a pet you realize that each animal has their own personality and mannerisms. My first cats, Boppy and Noodle, were pretty lethargic and loving. Luke and Leia-nardo (we found out she was a he after we named him) were independent and adventurous always exploring the forest in my Dad’s back yard; however, Leia-nardo acted more distant. Kit-tea is sneaky and thinks he’s the king of the castle. Like I said, I’m not a rookie when it comes to owning cats.

Even so, I find myself asking friends and searching online when I’m confronted with yet another cat behavior I’m not familiar with. Little Sid is about three months old. Already he’s made new noises and acted in funny ways. I’ve heard cats make all sorts of weird noises before, like the classic meow, purr, trill, and that territorial hissing/yowl that sounds like the cat is dying. Sid has been making small clicking sounds from the back of his throat that I can only compare to a baby velociraptor. Scouring the inter-web I learned that this clicking happens when the cat is either very excited about prey or frustrated that it is unattainable. It happens pretty often too, but this could be happening because he’s a kitten.

Another behavior that has been quite frequent is the chewing of mostly plastic, paper, and cardboard. His favorite toy right now is a small green bucket that he likes to chew and roll around in. In the past my cats have been more interested in soft materials, so I found this to be very different. My research came up with kitten teething! Sid Vicious is right in the middle of the time that kitten teeth, and that means he loves to chew on things he can really sink his teeth into. He won’t get all of his permanent teeth in until he’s about six months old. Perhaps this is Cat 101 and I’m only noticing all of this because he’s the first kitten I’ve been around most of the day. Can we be real though? This darn kitten loves being picked up in the bucket. What kind of cat does that? I love having animals around precisely because it’s so fun. What do your animals do that strange? Let me know in the comments!